Government’s assistance program illogical, aimed at assisting as less people as possible: expert

The threshold set by the government’s measure is not logical, expert on energy geopolitics and international security affairs Armen Manvelyan said speaking to Aysor.am, referring to the government’s decision to pay 50% of the gas and electricity costs of the people whose gas and electricity consumption costs did not exceed 10,000 and 5,000 AMD respectively.

He said that naturally people who heated their apartments with gas in February spent for it more than 10,000 AMD.

“Let us suppose that the government wants to help the socially insecure people who do not have natural gas and are not heating their apartment with gas. It means that such people rely on electricity and consequently, compensating the 5,000 AMD for electricity is absurd,” he said, adding that the minimal monthly cost for heating apartment with electricity makes its cost 20,000 AMD and more.

“I do not know who this assistance is addressed to. May be to people who neither consume gas nor electricity?” he said.

“I know people who really are in bad condition and need this money, but neither of them received any so far. The set restrictions really impede getting assistance. For instance, the assistance is provided to those who lost their jobs in this period. But the majority has not lost jobs, they were just sent home for holiday on their account,” the expert said, describing the restrictions absurd and senseless.

Manvelyan said the government set 5 and 10 thousand AMD threshold on purpose, aiming to assist as less citizens as possible but to receive a good PR for its assistance programs.

“In this regard they thought everything over in details. It is clear that the number of people having consumed such amount of gas and electricity in February will be very small,” he said.